T20 World Cup 2022: Aakash Chopra picks his team of the tournament; only 2 Indians make the side

Aakash Chopra has picked only two Indian players in his best XI of the T20 World Cup 2022.

England were crowned champions after they defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final in Melbourne on Sunday, November 13. The tournament saw some fantastic individual performances, with Virat Kohli finishing as the highest run-scorer and Sam Curran the most successful bowler starting from the Super 12 stage.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked England's openers to bat at the top of the order, saying:

"He is my team's captain and I think he is everyone's team's captain. His name is Jos Buttler. He is the captain, wicketkeeper, the opening batter and he is the flag bearer of how batting needs to be done in T20 cricket, how to revolutionize white-ball cricket."

The former Indian opener added:

"His partner is Alex Hales. The World Cup was not good for openers. Alex Hales, interestingly enough, was not part of this tournament. He came as Jonny Bairstow's replacement and then came and shone."

Chopra chose Virat Kohli to bat at the No. 3 position, elaborating:

"There is no debate on who is at No. 3. It is Virat Kohli, he had to be there. He scored the most runs in this World Cup. The strike rate in the initial stages of his innings might not have been great but after that acceleration, finishing the job, he has been very, very good."

Suryakumar Yadav was the other Indian player to find a place in Chopra's chosen side. The latter observed:

"Suryakumar Yadav is at No. 4. His best knock came against South Africa in Perth. India were 29/5 and were struggling and he came and just hit. He doesn't bother who is there with him, how is the pitch, plays slightly high-risk cricket, you can only do that if you are in great mental space."

Chopra picked Glenn Phillips as the only New Zealand player in his side. He stated:

"At No. 5, the guy who is coming to bat is Glenn Phillips. He scored a century when New Zealand were 15/3, batted amazingly well from there, and then scored runs again as well. T20 format - the number at which he bats, it's not easy, but his batting was excellent."

Phillips was the Black Caps' highest run-getter in the tournament with 201 runs to his name. He scored his runs at an excellent strike rate of 158.26 and also took a sensational catch to dismiss Marcus Stonis in the opening game of the Super 12 stage.

Aakash Chopra's picks of all-rounders and bowlers in his best XI of the T20 World Cup 2022

Shadab Khan stood out with his all-round performances for Pakistan.

Chopra chose Pakistan's Shadab Khan as a spin-bowling all-rounder to bat at No. 6. He elaborated:

"At No. 6, Shadab Khan, he has been good. Leg-spin bowling - he bowled very well, including the finals. You remember the South Africa knock in batting. To be fair, if you have to choose the all-rounder of the tournament, it is Shadab Khan."

Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza found a place in the reputed commentator's side as another spin-bowling all-rounder. The latter stated:

"Sikandar Raza is at No. 7. His numbers also include the ones before Super 12 because he came after playing the qualifiers. So the numbers look slightly better but the player is good. He picks up wickets with the ball and has played important knocks with the bat."

Chopra picked Sam Curran as the only seam-bowling all-rounder in his XI. He observed:

"I am going to pick four fast bowlers. Sam Curran is at No. 8. He also bats, he is the official Player of the Tournament. The specialty in his bowling is that he used the grounds very well, he knew the dimensions of the ground."

👌 Second-highest wicket-taker
🏅 Player of the Match in the final
💥 Career-best figures in the tournament
⭐ England's most economical pacer

Player of the Tournament Sam Curran stole the show in Australia 🤩

#T20WorldCup https://t.co/tCCapBhV7U

The cricketer-turned-analyst chose Anrich Nortje, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mark Wood as the three specialist pacers in this hypothetical side. He explained:

Now I am going towards three proper fast bowlers. Anrich Nortje - it's a disappointment his team could not go ahead. After that, I have picked Shaheen Shah Afridi. He started slowly, eventually got injured but the job he did in the middle. The last player I am picking is Mark Wood - played few matches but did amazingly well in them.

Aakash Chopra's best XI of the T20 World Cup 2022: Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Shadab Khan, Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran, Anrich Nortje, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mark Wood